Vacuum cleaner



16, 1940- A. ERlKSSON-JONS 2,137,554

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Oct. 22, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 35' Z 2 w 35 20 INVENTOR.

Jan. 16, 1940. I

A. ERIKSSON-JONS VACUUM CLEANER Filed Oct. 22, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i I INVENTOR. BY Z W Q y Patented ilan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES VACUUM CLEANER.

Anders Eriksson-Jons, Stockholm, Sweden, as-

signor to Electrolux Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application October 22, 1937, Serial No. 170,329 In Great Britain October 28, 1936 3 Claims.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to devices for controlling the direction of air flow through the said cleaners and/or conduits or nozzles associated therewith.

In order to enable vacuum cleaners to be used for suction purposes either through a main suction nozzle or through an auxiliary suction conduit disposed adjacent the handle of the apparatus, it has been proposed to provide the apparatus with two valves, one controlling the flow of air set up by the fan through the main nozzle and the other controlling the flow of air through the auxiliary conduit, the said valves being adjusted in position by angular displacement of a manipulating handle of the apparatus.

The object of the present invention is to provide simplified means operative by the manipulative handle for controlling the flow of air through a vacuum cleaner and its associated members.

According to the present invention in a vacuum cleaner provided with two suction channels or nozzles one or other of which is rendered operative by angular displacement of a pivoted handle mounted on the cleaner; transfer from suction operation to blowing operating is efiected by a further angular movement of said handle. By a further feature of the invention there is provided a single valve member controlled in its position according to the adjustment of the pivoted handle and adapted to control flow of suction air through one or the other respectively of the suction nozzles or channels. 7

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention the pivoted handle is movable into one or other of three predetermined positions and its movement is transferred to a single valve member adapted to provide in said positions respectively either suction flow through 40 said nozzle or suction flow through the auxiliary suction channel or exhaust air flow through said auxiliary suction channel. I

The invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the embodiment illus- 45 trateci by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of my invention with the valve member in one position;

50 Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view, as shown in Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a top view of a valve member shown in Figs. 1 through 4;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the valve member shown in Fig. 5;

Fig; 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3.

The apparatus comprises a main casing 36, supported on wheels or casters 35 and movable by means of a handle 33, upon which is mount- 16 ed a housing 34 enclosing an electric motor which drives a fan l4 contained within a fan chamber 31 disposed immediately below said motor. A portion of the base of the fan chamber is depressed to form a well or valve chamber 38 in I which a valve member I2 is rotatably mounted on a vertical spindle 30. The valve chamber 38 communicates with a main nozzle member 9 and also with an auxiliary chamber I9 formed in the main casing 36.

The valve member [2 comprises a hollow cylindrical portion which is disposed within the well and a radially extending flange 24 which contacts with the base of the fan chamber 31. In the walls and flange of the valve I! are openings or ports l3, H, I! and 23. The opening l3 provides constant communication between the interior of the cylindrical portion of the valve member and the fan chamber 31 while the openings Ii and H are movable on rotation of the valve member 12 respectively into and out. of register with openings ill or 22, and 18 provided in the main casing 36. These latter openings enable communication to. be established between the interior of the valve member and the main nozzle 9, the atmosphere and the chamber l9 respectively. The latter is formed with a socket '20 to receive an auxiliary conduit 2| for suction or blowing purposes as hereinafter described. The opening 23 in the flange 24 of the valve member is similarly movable into and out of register with an opening 25 in the base of the fan chamber 31.

To facilitate movement over the object being cleaned the apparatus as above mentioned is 50 mounted on wheels 35 while the handle 33 is forked as at 32, the end of each arm being pivotally mounted on the casing (Fig. 4). A spindle 3| rotatably supported in casing 36 engages with one arm of the forked member 32 and carries at its other end a bevel pinion 29. Pinion 29 meshes with a further bevel pinion 29 secured to the vertical valve spindle 39.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: With the handle 33 in the position shown in Fig. 1 and assuming the machine is in use air as shown by the arrows is drawn by means of the fan I4 through the nozzle 9, aperture I in the wall of the valve chamber-and further openings II and I3 in the periphery and top respectively of the cylindrical portion of the valve 'member I2 into the fan chamber and is finally expelled therefrom through the exhaust aperture I5 in the casing of the aperture into the dust bag I 6.

When it is desired to change over from the main nozzle 9 to an auxiliary cleaning tool which is inserted in the socket 20 the handle 39 is moved from the inclined position shown in Fig. 1 to the vertical position shown in Fig. 2 rotatably mounted valve member I2 being rotated in a counter-clockwise direction through an angle of, for example, between 75 and 80 by means of the bevel gears 28, 29.

In this position, the aperture II in the cylindrical portion of the valve member I2 has moved out of register with the aperture I0 communicating with the nozzle 9 thus closing this latter aperture by the cylindrical wall of the valve member I2 (see Fig. 8). Simultaneously the aperture II in said wall has come into register with the aperture I8 in the casing of the cleaner which communicates with the chamber I9. Further, the downwardly extending flange 21 of the valve member I2 which previously closed said chamber against insertion of an auxiliary conduit has now been removed by rotation of the valve member. An auxiliary suction conduit carrying any suitable cleaning tool (not shown) can now be inserted. Air is now drawn in the direction of the arrows through the tool and suction conduit 2|, chamber I9, apertures I8 and I1, aperture I3 and is finally expelled from the fan chamber through the apertureIS into the dust bag I6.

Further movement of the handle 33 from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3 efiects further rotation of valve member I2, in a counterclockwise direction. As will be seen from Figs. 3 and 9, such rotation causes the aperture III of the main nozzle 9 to remain closed by the wall of the cylindrical portion oi. the valve member I2 and in addition the apertures I1 and I8 causing communication between the valve member and the chamber I9 have moved out of register. In this position the aperture I1 in the valve member I2 now registers with the further aperture 22 in the main casing 36 and establishes communication between the interior of the valve member I2 and the outer atmosphere. The further rotation of the valve member I2 has also caused the aperture 23 in the flange 24 of the valve member I2 to register with the aperture 25 in the upper wall of the chamber I9. In addition the aperture I5 hitherto providing communication between the fan chamber and the dust bag I6 has been closed by a flange rim 26 which extends vertically upwards from the periphery of the flange 24.

v The air flow now takes the direction as shown by the arrows from the outer atmosphere through the apertures 22 and I1 into the valve chamber I2, through the aperture I3 into the fan chamber and is expelled by the fan I4 through the apertures 23, 25, into chamber I9 and thence into conduit 21 and, if desired, any suitable tool usable for blowing purposes.

The positions of the valve member I2 and the various apertures mentioned above are clearly illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the positions of the above mentioned members shown therein corresponding to the positions occupied thereby in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

The handle 32 may be maintained in its various predetermined positions by any known means such as a catch, stop or the like; I A vacuum cleaner constructed in accordance with the present invention is particularly applicable to cleaning by the application of alternate suction and blowing actions. This is possible when using the auxiliary suction or blowing conduit connected to chamber I9 and operating according to Figs. 2 and 3. To change over from suction to blowing operation this is eflected. by simple movement of the handle of the apparatus from the operative position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3 and vice versa, there being no necessity to disconnect the dust bag from the apparatus nor to attach to the cleaner separate tools usable for blowing purposes.

While I have shown and described one more or less specific embodiment of my invention, it is to be'understood that this has been done for purposes of illustration only and that the scope of my invention is not to be limited but is to be determined by the appended claims viewed in the light of the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner having a body, a fan within said body including an impeller rotatably mounted in a casing, said casing having inlet and an outlet openings, means forming a suction channel, within said body, a suction nozzle communicating with said channel, means forming a suction and blowing channel within said body, hose connection means communicating with said suction and blowing channel, a clean air intake formed in said body, a dust separating member connected to said body, a single rotatably mounted valve member in said body shiftable to one position to connect saidsuction channel with said inlet and said outlet with said dust separating member, and to a second position to connect said suction and blowing channel to said inlet and said outlet to said dust separating member, and to a third position to connect said clean air intake with said inlet and said outlet to said suction and blowing channel,

a handle pivotally connected to said body for.

moving said vacuum cleaner, and means operative to rotate said valve upon pivoted movement of said handle.

2. In a vacuum cleaner having a body, a fan within said body including an impeller rotatably mounted in a casing, said casing having inlet and an outlet openings, means forming a suction channel within said body, a suction nozzle communicating with said channel, means forming a suction and blowing channel within said body, hose connection means communicating with said suction and blowing channel, a clean air intake formed in said body, a dust separating member connected to said body, a single rotatable mounted valve member in said body having a disc portion and a hollow portion formed with ports, said disc portion being at the outlet and said hollow portion being permanently in communication with said inlet, said valve being shiftable to one position to align a port in said hollow portion with said suction channel and to connect said outlet with said dust separating member, and to a second position to align a port in said hollow portion with said suction and blowing channel and to connect said outlet to said dust separating member. and to a third position to align a port in the hollow portion with said clean air intake and to align the port in said disc portion with said suction and blowing channel, a handle for moving said vacuum cleaner pivotally connected to said body, and means operative by pivoted movement of said handle for rotating said valve to said positions.

3. In a vacuum cleaner having a hollow body including a fan housing having inlet and outlet openings, a centrifugal fan in said housing mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, said body being formed with a suction nozzle opening, hose connection opening, clean air intake opening and a dust laden air exhaust opening, a dust separating member connected to said dust laden air exhaust opening, a single valve member mounted for rotation about a vertical axis within said body and having a disc portion and a hollow portion formed with ports cooperating with said outlet and inlet openings, respectively, the hollow portion being permanently in communication with the inlet opening, said valve being shiftable to one position to connect said suction nozzle with said hollow portion through a port therein and to connect said outlet with said dust separating member, and to a second position to connect said hose connection means with said hollow portion through a port therein and to connect said outlet to said dust separating member, and to a third position to connect said clean air intake to said hollow portion through a port therein and to connect said outlet to said hose connection means, a handle for moving said vacuum cleaner pivotally connected to said body on a horizontal axis, and mechanical motion transmitting means for transmitting rotary motion from said handle to said valve member.

ANDERS ERIKSSON-JONS. 

